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TFW driver shifts

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Chris1305

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Hi

I have applied for a trainee driver post with transport for Wales.
Are there any employees that could give me an example of the rota they work?
I work very unsocial hours now, so the weekends and shifts don't bother me. I am just wondering if it would be an improvement on what I currently do.

Many thanks.
 
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sw1ller

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Ahh, cant help specifically, but a typical day can start as early as 3am or finish at 2am. There are a small number of night shifts in some depots (2000-0500 ish)

Shifts are about 5-9.5 hours long. At Cardiff you’ll have mainline or valleys, they’re two separate depots. Each depot has “links” that are based on seniority with the more senior going further north.

One of the Cardiff depots still has a choice of what shift pattern they prefer 4 day week or 5 day week.

5 day week gives you a week off every 6 weeks I think, not too sure. 4 day week gets you 5 days off every 3 weeks.

You’ll do a week of earlies then a week of lates. The night shifts are tied into the week of lates and are not too often. You do have the option of getting a permanent swap with someone so you just do earlies or lates (lates being the easiest to get on to as everyone wants earlies, they tend to be shorter shifts)

Anything else just ask.
 
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Chris1305

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sw1ller said:
Ahh, cant help specifically, but a typical day can start as early as 3am or finish at 2am. There are a small number of night shifts in some depots (2000-0500 ish)

Shifts are about 5-9.5 hours long. At Cardiff you’ll have mainline or valleys, they’re two separate depots. Each depot has “links” that are based on seniority with the more senior going further north.

One of the Cardiff depots still has a choice of what shift pattern they prefer 4 day week or 5 day week.

5 day week gives you a week off every 6 weeks I think, not too sure. 4 day week gets you 5 days off every 3 weeks.

You’ll do a week of earlies then a week of lates. The night shifts are tied into the week of lates and are not too often. You do have the option of getting a permanent swap with someone so you just do earlies or lates (lates being the easiest to get on to as everyone wants earlies, they tend to be shorter shifts)

Anything else just ask.
Click to expand...

Thats great thank you. I work days, afternoons and nights now and work 2 full weekends out of 3. That sounds like an improvement
 
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sw1ller

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Chris1305 said:
Thats great thank you. I work days, afternoons and nights now and work 2 full weekends out of 3. That sounds like an improvement
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You’ll get two sundays off in a row but not Saturdays. But that long weekend (Friday - Tuesday) is great.
 
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craigybagel

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New drivers in Cardiff go to the Valleys depot, and I'm pretty sure that's all 4 day week now.
 
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sw1ller

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craigybagel said:
New drivers in Cardiff go to the Valleys depot, and I'm pretty sure that's all 4 day week now.
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I wasn’t too sure about that. I spoke to a driver the other day who’s still on the 5 day week. But if I spoke to him, he’s not a valley driver! Haha.
 
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bionic

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Just out of interest where do Cardiff mainline drivers go routes-wise, and is the only way to get in there by going up the links on the valleys?
 
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craigybagel

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sw1ller said:
I wasn’t too sure about that. I spoke to a driver the other day who’s still on the 5 day week. But if I spoke to him, he’s not a valley driver! Haha.
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Funnily enough I was talking to a Cardiff Mainline driver the other day. He told me mainline is still split into 4 and 5 day links. I know all valleys guards have been 4 day for years but I'm sure I heard the same is true for drivers.

bionic said:
Just out of interest where do Cardiff mainline drivers go routes-wise, and is the only way to get in there by going up the links on the valleys?
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Cardiff - Swansea - Carmarthen - Milford Haven, direct plus diversion via Swansea District.
Bridgend - Maesteg
Cardiff - Barry - Bridgend (VOG)
Cardiff - Shrewsbury - Crewe
Shrewsbury - Chester
Newport - Cheltenham Spa
Newport - Bristol Parkway/Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol - Westbury
Cardiff/Newport - Ebbw Vale

However, no one driver signs all of that, there are many different links. Bottom link is mostly Ebbw Vale, Maesteg and VOG.
Bristol/Westbury work is up in the air at the moment, it might have even stopped at the last timetable change as there were issues with TfW drivers signing Turbos - I've not spoken to anyone down there recently enough to find out for definite.

AFAIK, movement to Mainline is only from Valleys, based on seniority. Even internally when drivers have been transferring to Cardiff they've been going in the Valleys even if they already sign mainline stock.
 
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Chris1305

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Thank you. Does anyone know how the 4 day rota works? Is it 4 on 3 off or does it avergae a 4 day week over the rota?
 
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craigybagel

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Chris1305 said:
Thank you. Does anyone know how the 4 day rota works? Is it 4 on 3 off or does it avergae a 4 day week over the rota?
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Week 1 you're off Monday and Tuesday
Week 2 you're off Wednesday and Thursday
Week 3 you're off Friday and Saturday, which then rolls back around to Week 1 again, giving you a 5 day weekend every 3 weeks

That's assuming you don't work any Sundays. At TfW you'll be rostered 1 in 3 (although I think it's less then that on the Valleys). It's effectively compulsory overtime - if you find someone else to work it, they'll do it and get paid for it. If nobody wants it then you'll have to work it, and get paid overtime. Those rostered Sundays are never in your 5 day weekend though, they fall in your other weekends.
 
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tiptoptaff

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We no longer hire in TfW drivers, so Cardiff TfW have lost the Bristol work. Don't even send our sets on to Canton any more. Westbury went years ago.

Cardiff Mainline is (or was when I resourced them a few years ago) split L/A/B/C

C was bottom link and signed Cheltenham, Maesteg, Ebbw Vale, VOG and Swansea
B was as above but also signed Chester, Carmarthen and Bristol
A signed Crewe, Chester, Milford Haven, VOG and Cheltenham. Maesteg and Ebbw wasn't covered enough with the longer routes worked to keep it up.
L as per A, but also signed the 57s and now the 67s

Cardiff-Swansea and Cheltenham are the core routes. All links sign Canton. 150 is core traction, however everyone signs 142/143/150/153/158/175. Handful signed 170s for the XC unit that went on Canton, but that has also stopped now

To get to Cardiff Mainline, you need to go to Valleys and wait your turn on the transfer list. Naturally, its a very popular transfer for Valley drivers.

Valleys is all one link, and they all sign the whole Valleys network - Cardiff-Penarth, Barry Island, Aberdare, Treherbert, Merthyr, Cardiff Bay and Coryton-Radyr.
150 is core traction, but everyone signs 142/143/150 and 153. Some were learning 158s and 175s for moves to Canton, and I left before they decided if all Valleys crew would sign them for that purpose.

37s coming back will be at Rhumney depot only.
 
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craigybagel

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tiptoptaff said:
We no longer hire in TfW drivers, so Cardiff TfW have lost the Bristol work. Don't even send our sets on to Canton any more. Westbury went years ago.

Cardiff Mainline is (or was when I resourced them a few years ago) split L/A/B/C

C was bottom link and signed Cheltenham, Maesteg, Ebbw Vale, VOG and Swansea
B was as above but also signed Chester, Carmarthen and Bristol
A signed Crewe, Chester, Milford Haven, VOG and Cheltenham. Maesteg and Ebbw wasn't covered enough with the longer routes worked to keep it up.
L as per A, but also signed the 57s and now the 67s

Cardiff-Swansea and Cheltenham are the core routes. All links sign Canton. 150 is core traction, however everyone signs 142/143/150/153/158/175. Handful signed 170s for the XC unit that went on Canton, but that has also stopped now

To get to Cardiff Mainline, you need to go to Valleys and wait your turn on the transfer list. Naturally, its a very popular transfer for Valley drivers.

Valleys is all one link, and they all sign the whole Valleys network - Cardiff-Penarth, Barry Island, Aberdare, Treherbert, Merthyr, Cardiff Bay and Coryton-Radyr.
150 is core traction, but everyone signs 142/143/150 and 153. Some were learning 158s and 175s for moves to Canton, and I left before they decided if all Valleys crew would sign them for that purpose.

37s coming back will be at Rhumney depot only.
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Thanks, I was hoping you'd come along - I always get a bit lost trying to make sense of the links at Cardiff. Also thanks for confirming the end of Bristol work.

I believe the 158 and 175 training for Valleys drivers got abandoned in the end. I know a few did get trained up on them but I think in the end there just wasn't enough shunt moves to keep them competent.
 
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sw1ller

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Is there any night work in Cardiff? I know canton has its own shunter drivers but is there still a need for mainline/valley drivers to work nights?
 
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bionic

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Cheers for the info. I do like the sound of the Cardiff mainline work, but not enough to want to sit in the Valleys link for years!
 
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craigybagel

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sw1ller said:
Is there any night work in Cardiff? I know canton has its own shunter drivers but is there still a need for mainline/valley drivers to work nights?
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Just had a quick look on genius. There are at least 2 Valleys and 2 Mainline night jobs spent predominantly at Canton. There's also 1 Mainline driver there during the day, to move the loco around if necessary (they arrive with it in the morning, and then bring it back in to Central in the evening, with any shunts as required in the meantime).

There's also a night job for a driver and guard involving the last Hereford. They work it there, wait a few hours, then bring it back in the early hours of the following morning.
 
tiptoptaff

tiptoptaff

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craigybagel said:
Just had a quick look on genius. There are at least 2 Valleys and 2 Mainline night jobs spent predominantly at Canton. There's also 1 Mainline driver there during the day, to move the loco around if necessary (they arrive with it in the morning, and then bring it back in to Central in the evening, with any shunts as required in the meantime).

There's also a night job for a driver and guard involving the last Hereford. They work it there, wait a few hours, then bring it back in the early hours of the following morning.
Click to expand...
CF500 is the day loco job, unless they've changed the number.

There were about 4 nights on each side, the shunters can't come off depot so there are mainline (from Valleys and Mainline) there for shed and ferry purposes. There are also a few day shed+ferry drivers. All the Holyheads go to/from Canton, as well as the cycle of units on the Valleys that go there for fuel off the outstables.

The night Hereford is a great turn - about 2 hrs of work and 4+ of sleeping! Comes back as a Hereford to Barry Island service!
 
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craigybagel

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Plodster said:
Can anyone advise on Crewe and Chester patterns and routes please?

Ta
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Both depots are on the same 4 day week pattern described above. At present, Chester have 2 night turns but they're about to lose 1 of them, and Crewe also have 1.

Chester has 3 links. The links were changed a little lately so I'm not sure exactly what routes the new starters do, but on the traction side it's 150, 158 and 175 (one of the senior links adds 153s). Between all the links (nobody signs everything) the routes are:

Chester - Holyhead/Liverpool
Chester - Shrewsbury - Crewe - Chester triangle
Shrewsbury - Birmingham International (via Stour lines and some sign via Bescot)
Crewe - Stafford - Wolverhampton
Chester - Manchester Piccadilly (via Warrington and Northwich)
Manchester Piccadilly - Manchester Airport
Chester - Liverpool
Wrexham - Bidston
Chester Alsthom depot
Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate sidings

Crewe has 2 links. The work and routes are virtually the same, the only difference being the senior link sign 67/DVT and Canton Depot.
Otherwise, everybody signs 150,153,158,175.

Routes are Crewe - Manchester 4 ways (direct, via Styal, via Stoke, via Warrington)
Crewe - Shrewsbury - Chester - Crewe triangle
Shrewsbury - Cardiff
Shrewsbury - Birmingham International (via Stour lines only)
Crewe - Stafford - Wolverhampton
Arriva Train care Crewe depot
Crewe Electric depot.
Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate sidings.
 
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sw1ller

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craigybagel said:
Both depots are on the same 4 day week pattern described above. At present, Chester have 2 night turns but they're about to lose 1 of them, and Crewe also have 1.

Chester has 3 links. The links were changed a little lately so I'm not sure exactly what routes the new starters do, but on the traction side it's 150, 158 and 175 (one of the senior links adds 153s). Between all the links (nobody signs everything) the routes are:

Chester - Holyhead/Liverpool
Chester - Shrewsbury - Crewe - Chester triangle
Shrewsbury - Birmingham International (via Stour lines and some sign via Bescot)
Crewe - Stafford - Wolverhampton
Chester - Manchester Piccadilly (via Warrington and Northwich)
Manchester Piccadilly - Manchester Airport
Chester - Liverpool
Wrexham - Bidston
Chester Alsthom depot
Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate sidings

Crewe has 2 links. The work and routes are virtually the same, the only difference being the senior link sign 67/DVT and Canton Depot.
Otherwise, everybody signs 150,153,158,175.

Routes are Crewe - Manchester 4 ways (direct, via Styal, via Stoke, via Warrington)
Crewe - Shrewsbury - Chester - Crewe triangle
Shrewsbury - Cardiff
Shrewsbury - Birmingham International (via Stour lines only)
Crewe - Stafford - Wolverhampton
Arriva Train care Crewe depot
Crewe Electric depot.
Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate sidings.
Click to expand...

Hahahahahahahaha. Ok
 
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craigybagel

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bionic said:
Don't either of those depots sign Heart of Wales?
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irish_rail said:
Pretty sure Crewe sign as far as llanwrtyd wells . Chester no HOW work.
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Crewe guards sign HOWL, but no drivers from there at present. They did in the past, and there are plans for them to do again in the future, but at present it is exclusively Shrewsbury drivers working the north end of the HOWL.
 
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bionic

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Ok thanks. I'm sure I'd heard they did, but obviously things change. I bet that's decent work.
 
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